SAN ANTONIO — A Bexar County sheriff’s deputy was fired on Wednesday following a rollover crash for which she was not criminally charged, the agency said.
According to a spokesperson for BCSO, Simona Barron, 31, crashed and rolled her vehicle over around 2 a.m. Wednesday.
San Antonio police responded to the scene of the crash and performed a field sobriety test on Barron. Police did not arrest or charge Barron, but sheriff Javier Salazar said he fired Barron "due to the nature of the incident.”
Asked whether Barron passed field sobriety tests, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office directed questions about the incident to the San Antonio Police Department, writing: "You will have to contact SAPD to ask about the specifics on what tests were performed, as we were only made aware of the decision she was not arrested, and not what led to that decision."
San Antonio police said Wednesday the report for the incident was not yet complete and that it did not yet have preliminary information from the scene.
A statement from the Sheriff’s Office noted Barron was issued a "probationary order of dismissal after failing to perform satisfactorily during her probationary period.”
Though, Deputy Sheriff’s Association President Jeremy Payne said Wednesday night Barron was no longer a probationary employee and had been with the agency for 13 months. The collective bargaining agreement between the DSABC, Sheriff and Bexar County states that the probationary period for officers lasts for 12 months starting from their date of hire.
During the yearlong period, they are not afforded the opportunity to appeal dismissals or have their dismissals reviewed. The sheriff’s office confirmed Barron was hired Aug. 26, 2019.
“The Sheriff’s Office once again has rushed to judge a deputy without any due process, and is once again trying to destroy a life of another young, budding, female officer,” Payne said via phone Wednesday.
Payne said he would work with Barron to file a grievance to be returned to duty, but noted it could be months before her case is heard, leaving her suddenly unemployed.